Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Friday Harbor, Washington

Town of Friday Harbor’s own rules

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town building, plan-review, plumbing, mechanical, and clearing/grading permits.

  • Building, plumbing, mechanical, and clearing/grading fee tables receive a 1.25 regional modifier where stated.
  • Work begun before required permit issuance has a double required-permit fee excluding plan-check fee, with a $50 minimum.

  regional modifier: 1.25 (Applied to the building, plumbing, mechanical, and clearing/grading fee tables specified in FHMC 15.04.020.) · minimum after-the-fact fee: >= 50 USD (Excludes the plan-check fee; required permit fee is doubled.)

  “Building permit fees shall be assessed in accordance with Table 1-A, Building Permit Fees, of the 1997 Uniform Building Code, Second Printing. A multiplier of 1.25 shall be applied to this table as a regional modifier.”

• Permit processPartial

  Accessory dwelling-unit approvals in Friday Harbor's single-family residential zone.

  • A deed restriction must be recorded with the San Juan County auditor before building-permit issuance.
  • The rental permit must be maintained in good standing.

  “A deed restriction is recorded with the San Juan County auditor prior to building permit issuance, stating all of the following as set forth in subsections (B)(3)(a) through (B)(3)(g) of this section:”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Friday Harbor

Town of Friday Harbor does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Friday Harbor's single-family residential zone.

  maximum lot area covered by structures: <= 40 percent

  “The maximum lot area covered by structures in a single-family residential zone shall not exceed 40 percent.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Access for development in Friday Harbor's single-family residential zone.

  • Access requirements are those in the street and storm-drainage standards in FHMC Chapter 12.02.

  “Access requirements for the single-family residential zone shall be as defined in the street and storm drainage standards as defined in Chapter 12.02 FHMC.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Friday Harbor or San Juan County directly.

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Friday Harbor town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Friday Harbor town limits.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Friday Harbor town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Friday Harbor town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Friday Harbor town limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Friday Harbor means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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